Device for taking up railways



R c. SHIPP DEVICE FOR TAKING UP RAILWAYS Dec. 3,1940."

Filed Oct. 13, 1939 2 Sh'eeis-Shee'i 1 Patented Dec. 3, I940 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEVICE FOR TAKING UPRAILWAYS Roy 0. Shipp, Hammond, Ind., assignor toRailpullers, Incorporated, Hammond, Ind.

Application October 13, 1939, SerialNo. 299,342

14 Claims. (01. 254 -18) This invention rela tes to an improved device Additional objects of importance and advanfor tearing loose and removing railway tracks tage will become apparent as the following dewhich are spiked or otherwise secured to crosstailed description progresses, reference being ties. I y 3 had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Heretofore, various devices have be n br h Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a device for l forth an p y d for lo nin cks fr m taking u rails which embodies the invention. cross-ties. These devices range from special lift- Fig 2 is a top m i th reof, I ing lacks 0 individual Spike removers- Use f Fig. 3 is a vertical section'taken on line 33 such devices i tearing p y considerable of'Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by quantity of rails necessanly entailed considerthe arrows able manual labor and excessive costs. Fig 4 is a sh htl odified form f t Consequently, the tracks of abandoned railtion; g y e mven ways were, for the most part, left on the road Fig 5 ers ective View of t d beds. Even in cities where street railway syseratiom p p evlce m op terns or parts thereof were abandoned and dis- AS Shown in t drawings;

continued, excessive costs prevented the removal The eference numeral N indicates generally of the rails. In various places, the streets were a plurality of Spaced parallel runners. In the resurfaced witho t removmg the In other preferred embodiment of the invention, the runplaces, the falls were left ln the streetsners "1' are constructed of I-beams, as is best The present invention has to do with provldshown in Fig. -However it will be apparent ing a device which will economically loosen and that an suitable slideable or separate the joined rails from the cross-ties and mg or giound engaging means fig ffi figgggzg' place the joined rails on the surfaceof the street In the f r d embodiment f the 0r ro?d bed in P08111011 dlsassembly and tion, the forward ends of the runners I 0 are mova turned upwardly as is indicated b l l y the reference One of the principalob ects of advantage and numeral I2. This construction facilitates travel importance of the 1nvent1on resides in the proover obstacles such as Switches or the like duction of a rug d and Sturdy dvlce which is Secured to the parallel runners preferabl adap to economically teal up a Smgle or double closely adjacent the front and rear thereof y line 0f joined falls Single forward Y t cross-members M which are adapted to majr l The Present lnvenlllon operates on the mchned tain the runners in operable parallel relation.

plane or Wedge principle. The roller or rotatable fulcrum is adapted to lessen friction and fi g t i g g gfi ifigfig are employed to wear. 5 Another object of advantageand importance secured each rlmner mtermedlate the 2 of the improved device of this invention resides tends thereof 15 i member bear in the provision of means for employing a fulcrum i members are m ahgmllelll' as 15 best Wn in such a manner that the weight of a portion of m Flgs" 2 ant The beefing members are a rail which has passed thereover is utilized to preferably two'plece beanngs Whlch y e reassist in loosening and withdrawing the spikes or moved" However Wm be apparent that any 4:

other rail securing means which are still in place lsmta'ble bearings may employed Operably Journaled 1n the bearings I8 is a ahead of the device.

Another object of advantage and importance 1 1 The roller 20 Preferably spans t e enresides in the provision of means for preventing tlre dlstaflnce between two of the aligned bearings excessive lateral movement of rails on the fulwlll be apparent at a plurality of antl- 1 crum when the deviceis in operation. fncllon rollers-may be 1 0 11 in p allel as- A still further object of advantage and im'- soclatlon and on an inclined P -to e gage the portance of the improved device of this invention bottom Surface of a fall 2| passing her over.

resides in the provision of means for forcing the In f Preferred embodlment of the invention, cross-ties downwardly as rails secured thereupon but a Smgle r0116! S i porated in the struc 50 are raised upwardly. ture. The device shown in-Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is An additional object of advantage and imadapted to be employed for taking up a. single portance resides in the provision of means for line of rails. However, it will be apparent that controlling the direction of travel of the improved the device shown in Fig. 2 may be of sufliclent i device'when in operation. width to straddle a double line of rails and thus In the modified form of the invention, as shownin Fig. 4, a center rlmner, indicated by the reference numeral a, may be employed to add rigidity to the device and also to support the central portion of the roller 20. Where it is so desired, a

' roller and to direct the rail as it leaves the fin-- thereunder.

rail forward of the fulcrum point.

pair of rollers 22, 22, may be employed in the modified construction.

-It will be apparent that a non-rotatable ful crum member may be substituted for the rollers 20 or'22, where it is so desired.

' Secured to the upper portion of each runner slightly forward of the bearing .member I8, is a guide member 24. The guide members 2 are adapted to maintain a rail passing over the roller in association with the peripheral surface of said crum. I

Suitable means26 are provided for attaching the improved device of this invention to motive means.

The improved device of this invention is preferably operated in the following manner: The device is positioned astraddle the rails to be removed. The line of rails to be removed is loosened at one end. This end is then jacked up or raised sufdciently to allow the roller to be placed The rail is then lowered onto the The device,,thus positioned, has the for-' roller. ward cross-member above the rail and the rear cross-member and the roller beneath the rail.

Suitable motive power such as a truck, a trac tor, a locomotive, or the like is then hitched to the forward end of the improved device. As the device is'moved forward, the bottom surface of the runners forces the cross-ties downwardly and the roller or other fulcrum means raises the f rails upwardly.

It will be apparent that as the device moves forwardly under the joined rails, the rails are lifted from the cross-ties and then lowered onto the cross-ties or surface of the road bed where they may be readily taken apart for removal.

It will also, be apparent from the foregoing, that as the rail passes over the roller o'r fulcrum point, its weight tends to lift a portion of the Thus a free portion of the rail is utilized to assist in loosening a secured portion of the rail from engagement with the cross-ties.

'It will be apparent from the foregoing that herein is provided a rugged and sturdy device ployed to remove either a single line of joined.

4 rails or a double line of joined rails.

forms a part of the road bed.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing that herein is provided an improved device which functions on the inclined plane or wedge principle but in which may be incorporated a rotatable or a non-rotatable fulcrum over which rails are adapted to pass and that the rails passing over the fulcrum member improvise a lever. And also that the weight of the rail to the rear of the fulcrum member assists in loosening the spikes holding the rail forward of the fulcrum member. e

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art rails from a supporting road bed, a rail lifting of said spaced runners.

' changes and alterations in construction and design may be made all without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. Accordingly, it is understood that the patent granted here- 5 on is not to be limited to the preferred embodiment lfere disclosed nor in any other manner except as necessitated by the terminology of the appended claims when given the range of equivalents to which they may be entitled. 10

I claim as my invention:

,1. In a device for lifting joined rails from a road bed, a plurality of runners in spaced parallel association, means for maintaining said runners in spaced relation, said means including a. cross- 15 1 member joined to said runners near the front.

means for preventing the forward end of the device from tilting downwardly, and means for 20 lifting said joined rails from a road bed as said means pass therealong, said means including a roller journaled transversely of said parallel runners.

2. In a device for lifting rails from cross-ties, 2 supporting means adapted to be moved over said. cross-ties in a direction paralleling said rails, and crossmembers in association with said supporting means, one of said cross-members being adapted to engage the bottom surface of said 30 rails and one of said cross-members being positioned to pass above said rails and be moved therealong. 7 v

3. In a device for removing a line of joined rails from supporting cross-ties, a rail support- 35 ing member adapted to engage the bottom surface of said rails, a member positioned forwardly bottom surface of said rails.

4. In a device'for removing a line of joined member adapted to engage and be moved along a lower portion of said raised rail, a member near the front end of the device which may engage the upper surface of said rails to prevent said front end from dipping, and means for supporting said rail-lifting and said railengaging members as the device is moved in a direction paralleling the line of rails being removed.

\ 5. In a device for taking up joinedrails from a road bed, a pair of runners in spaced parallel relation one to the other whereby to pass a rail between them and to bear on the rail ties, means for maintaining said runners in spaced relation, and a cross-member by which rails are adapted to be lifted journalled transversely of said 0' runners. I

6. In a device for'taking up joined rails from a road bed, a plurality of runnersin spaced relationone to the other, means for maintaining said runners in spaced relation, and. means in association with said plurality of runners for lifting a line of joined rails from its road bed, said last named means including a rotatable cross-member positioned intermediate the ends '7. In a device for taking up joined rails from a road bed, comprising a'movable road bed engaging member, the bottom surface of said member being adapted in operation to maintain. the cross-ties of said road bed in position, and means on'the upper portion 01'. said device ad'aptedto engage and lift the joined rails from said road bed as the device is moved therealong, the rail engaging portion of said device being located 5 intermediate the ends thereof toprovide a support on a relatively constant plane for the rail being removed regardless of the normal vertical movement of the front end of the device. v

8. In a device for removing joined rails from porting members secured to said roadbed engaging member, and a rail engaging member removably secured to said s pporting members. said supporting members and said rail engaging member being located intermediate the ends of said device. v

9. In a device for liftingrails from cross-ties,

supporting means adapted to be moved over said cross-ties in a direction paralleling said rails, a

cross-member positioned intermediate the ends of said supporting means, said" cross-member providing the only portion of said device for engaging and supporting said rails, said cross* member being located to form a constant cen-v 130 mg a rail receiving opening therein, and a fula road bed, a road bed engaging member, supcrum member in operable association with said supporting member, said fulcrum member being positioned near the rear end o'fsaid opening.

supporting ,frarne adapted-to be moved in a direction paralleling the rail being removed, and

a rail lifting member journalled in said frame transverse its normal direction of travel, said member being adapted to engage the lower surface of a rail and be moved continuously therealong.

13. In a rail pulling device, a frame having a rail receiving opening. therein, a railengaging member positioned transversely of said frame and forming the rear endof said opening.

14. In a rail pulling. device, a frame having a rail receiving opening therein,,a cross-member secured to the frame and forming the front end of said rail receiving opening, and a cross-mem-- 

